Partner Dermot Zhang' s article named Suggestions on the Amendment Philosophy to Marine Code of P. R. China is published on the Shipping Exchange Bulletin (No. 32 2004) as a cover topical article. In his suggestions, the following things are examined: special focuses on China?ˉs marine matters; harmonization of relationship with general laws; importing of international terms and inception of new system; redefinition of key terms; adopting electronic tools; and to be in line with relevant international laws.

  Effective from 8 August 2004, the office of Haworth & Lexon will be officially moved to the following address:

Suite 2415, China Merchants Tower
161 Lujiazui (E) Road
Shanghai P. R. China
Tel: 0086 21 6887 9696
Fax:0086 21 6887 8766
Zip: 200120

Haworth & Lexon has rapidly grown up since its foundation with your kindly support and attention in various aspects. All partners of the firm are very happy to facilitate your development and add you much legal value in the following arenas in future with our qualified internal teams: Corporate, M&A, Restructuring and FDI; Real Estate Property Development and Construction; Securities and Financing; Intellectual Property Rights; International Trade and Shipping; and Commercial Arbitration and Litigation.

In the last several months, our firm provided legal service for reorganization of oversea investment project of Shanghai F&J Group. The reorganization is a great project of Chinese private-owned enterprises to promote business outside China. Shanghai F&J Group, whose business has been expanded in Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Southern America, is a Chinese private-owned multinational enterprise. Professor Xu Dianqing, the famous Chinese-American economic scholar, selected it for teaching cases in Peking University and Zhongshan University. 21st Century Business Herald reported Shanghai F&J Group in particular on June 7, 2004.

Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Shandong Province has approved the asset acquisition of Shandong Dezhou Xingtai Special Paper Co., Ltd by Netherlands Conitex Sonoco Holding B.V., whose the Headquarters is located at Miami, U.S., on July 9, 2004.

Papertech (Dezhou) Co., Ltd., Which was set up by the foreign party and the Chinese party, Shandong Zhaodongfang Paper Group Co, Ltd., has formally established on July 1, 2004.

We represented the foreign party in the whole project, including earlier stage negotiation, due diligence, designing the scheme and drafting the Contract for Asset acquisition, Joint Venture Contract and Article of Association and reviewing and revising finally. The total investment of the project amounts to 29.9 million dollars and the registered capital reaches 19.19 million dollars.

As a partner of Haworth & Lexon, Mr. Bailey Xu's English essay " From RMB 42 million to Noting: What Lessons Can We Learn From JV Disputes?" was published in "China Law & Practice" ( April 2004). "China Law & Practice" is a famous legal magazine in Hong Kong. Detailed contents of this essay is available at Haworth & Lexon's website : http://www.hllawyers.com/law-en-publications/law-en-publications-23.htm.

As a well-known member of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group), Shanghai Huizhong Automotive Manufacturing Co, Ltd. is located in Shanghai Pudong Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone. Shanghai Huizhong owns 5 manufacturing enterprises, 4 joint ventures and boasts yearly operating revenues of RMB 4 billion and fixed assets valued at RMB 2,160 million. In addition to daily business, Haworth & Lexon will provide legal services to Huizhong mainly in the fields of investment, acquisition & merging, and technology transferring.

Haworth & Lexon, very recently, has completed all requested legal services for a large financing transaction amounting to US$ 50,000,000, in which, a big U.S company intends to sell its notes to some purchasers, such as Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, C.M. Life Insurance Company, Massmutual Asia Limited and Hakone Fund LLC. This company has numerous subsidiaries in Florida, Delaware, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Spain, United Kingdom, Indonesia, India, Mauritius, Hungary, Mexico, Greece, Italy, P.R.China and Taiwan. In this transaction, our lawyers have rendered the creative and realistic service by suggesting the pattern and method for the financing guarantee involved in, and we help design the detailed procedure for the possible realization of the guarantee. Requested by the note purchasers as mentioned above, we also have submitted the legal opinion. We have had a sound and comprehensive cooperation with Choate, Hall & Stewart and Greenberg Traurig P. A, in the area ranging from financing, private placement, guarantee and tax issues relating to venture capital etc.

We provide the whole process for indirectly purchasing a Nanjing steel company by a famous Shanghai company.

The local company merged the BVI Company, the main shareholder of the Nanjing steel company, through its subsidiary company in Hong Kong. The local company could control the steel company after the acquisition. The whole process of this case took place in abroad, and finally the local company realized its purpose of becoming the controller. The scheme of packaging purchase designed by our firm gained Millions of profits for our clients.

At the end of 2003, Liao Fubin (pen name: Jimmy), a famous cartoonist from Taiwan, retained Haworth Lexon to deal with all his issues regarding copyright protection within mainland with methods including but not limited to justice and administration.

Up to now, Haworth Lexon has brought several lawsuits against companies in Shanghai, Guangdong Province and Shandong Province, who had infringed Jimmy's copyright. Currently, 2 of these suits have ended up in conciliation, and the defendants agreed to publish an apology, pay the damages and bear the litigation costs.

A department store, one of the defendants, paid Jimmy RMB 150,000 in damages.

The 2004 China Law Awards ceremony was held on Feburary 27,2004,at the Diamond Ballroom of the Shanghai Westin Hotel. The 2004 China Law Awards , the most prestigious awards in legal industry , was hosted by Asian Legal Business . Haworth & Lexon and other five reputable law firms were the noninees of the Awards for the Real Estate Law Firms of the Year for their exprienced and high quality legal service in this field.